A Closer Look at Carbon-Chain Depleted Comets
Allison Bair and David Schleicher analyzed 17 strongly carbon-chain depleted comets using Lowell Observatory’s long-term photometry database. These comets, mostly Jupiter-family objects, show far lower levels of C₂ and C₃ (and sometimes NH) compared to typical comets, though their dust-to-gas ratios are similar. The authors argue this depletion reflects primordial formation conditions in the Kuiper Belt, rather than later heating in the inner Solar System.
A New Visitor from the Stars: Studying Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
Raúl de la Fuente Marcos and colleagues studied interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, finding it has a dust-rich coma, a red D-type-like spectrum, and a 16.8-hour rotation period. Its properties resemble solar system comets, and its motion suggests it came from the galactic thin disk, likely from a Sun-like star system.
Exploring the Oort Cloud: How Long Do Comets Stay Near Planets?
The study explores how comets from the Oort Cloud interact with planets, using models to simulate their evolution under galactic tides, stellar encounters, and planetary forces. It finds that comets typically stay in the planetary region for about 100 million years before being ejected or transitioning into other populations like Centaurs. These findings reveal how dynamic forces shape the solar system's structure and history.